Relishing Every. Single. Moment.

Brian and I started our anniversary celebration this year with manis and pedis at our favorite local salon, Nails and Beyond.

I picked this one for my toenails because I liked the color. I took a picture because I thought the name was clever.

It’s sparkly but still kind of neutral, which is my style. I don’t really get into crazy nail polish colors or designs. I keep it pretty basic most of the time.

This is Brian getting an arm massage from Vanessa.

Here’s the finished product. I rarely (if at all) get my fingernails painted. We both usually as for the “buff shiny” treatment. It’s $5 more but the natural shine actually lasts a few weeks and you don’t have to worry about yucky, chipped nail polish.

We ended up going to Carrabba’s for dinner after. We were going to just eat at Taco Bell because I had this whole post planned about how you really don’t have to spend a lot of money or do anything fancy for anniversaries. I was trying to make the point that it doesn’t really matter where we are as long as we’re together. Anyway, I got derailed by a “happy hour all day” email from Carrabba’s. Of course, I would rather eat the delicious food at Carrabba’s any day. But the point is, if all we had money for was Taco Bell, that would be just fine with me too.

Love is all we need.

The next night Brian took me to a surprise anniversary dinner at Siena Tuscan Steakhouse. I figured it out as we were driving there. He said he wanted to go somewhere we’d never been before. I’d had lunch at Siena a few times before but never dinner. I guess he forgot that I’d been there. I told him dinner is different. This was my first dinner experience there. I was really proud of Brian for going out of his comfort zone.

We started with the bruschetta. It was delicious. I would totally go back just for this. The salmon had the perfect smokiness. I thoroughly enjoyed every bite.

Anyway, here’s a better picture.

We also both got Caesar salads.

Guess which one of us had the anchovy and which one didn’t.

Brian got the fettuccine bolognese. It doesn’t look like much but it was amazing! Next time I’m here, I’m totally getting it.

I had the grilled salmon, which you can’t really see too well in this photo. It was also very good but I really liked what Brian had.

We finished with a tiramisu, which they serve in a cute little mason jar and top with an even cuter mini macaron.

It looks even cuter next to Brian.

The one thing I found out that night that I didn’t know before is, much like the Ambassador Hotel in Kansas City, this Ambassador Hotel also offers complimentary parking and shuttle service to the shows when you dine with them. I told Brian I would make a mental note for next year. Also, posting it here on the blog in case I forget.

Traditionally, we always take anniversary selfies.

The next day, we continued the celebration by watching the Music Theatre Wichita production of the Little Mermaid.

MTW had several great shows this year but this was the first one that we’d been able to attend all season. Brian really wanted to see Pippin but we were in Orlando that weekend. Next year Chicago falls during ZINCON, which I’m a tad distraught about. I really want to see Chicago but I don’t want to miss ZINCON either. It’s quite a tough decision. I guess it will all depend if we end up with season passes.

Anyway, that’s pretty much our anniversary celebration in a nutshell. It’s quite low-key just like us. Happy 16th wedding anniversary to the two of us. Until next time!

Who We Are

Brian and Ching met in 1999 and have been together ever since. Brian was born and raised in Wichita. He moved away to live in Memphis for a few years and then returned. It was after he returned to Wichita that he met Ching. Coming home was probably the best decision he's ever made, besides marrying Ching.

Ching is an exotic and petulant little flower imported from the Philippines. Her family moved to the Wichita area in the mid-90s. She is an avid blogger and picture-taker. She is quite prolific and has authored most of the posts on the site.

Brian and Ching are inseparable and enjoy many activities together including traveling, dancing, bowling, chess, and poker. The only activities they don't share are video games (mostly Brian's thing) and Zumba (that's all Ching). They live in Wichita with their two adorable dogs, Molly and Saki.

This blog started in 2002 to document their life after marriage and has since evolved into a chronicle of their day to day adventures.